What To Expect From Hostels In Japan

When in Japan, we had only one couchsurfing experience at the beginning of the trip, that left us a bit confused and disappointed. Thus, we decided to stay in hostels, trying to avoid unnecessary discomfort. In this way we had a chance to experience various hostels across the country in such cities as Hiroshima, Tokyo, Fuji or Nara.

We put all our hostel experiences together and here we are – recommending or discouraging you to stay at budget hostels we have stayed. In general, we must admit that most of these hostels welcomed us warmly, we met awesome people there and we both brought nice memories from there. However, there were few things you should keep in mind when booking a budget hostel in Japan.

Hiroshima Hana Hostel, Hiroshima *****

Our room at Hiroshima Hana Hostel.

Location: Kojinmachi 1-15, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Japan. This hostel is perfectly located in a quiet neighbourhood, walking distance from the central railway station. When you book it, you will be given very precise direction so getting lost is not an option.

Price: 2500 yen per person in 4 people dorm ($19).

Our experience: We were warmly welcomed by a nice Japanese receptionist that kept smiling to us. In no time we received the keys to our room that was shared with 2 other people. We really liked our room design – traditional bamboo beds, comfy pillows, nice and tidy toilet. The room itself was very small, but we managed to squeeze there with no problems. Kitchen was very spacious and well-equipped so that allowed us to cook our own meals.

Cooking dinner at Hiroshima Hana Hostel.

Rate: 5/5.

More info: There are free lockers at the reception to use, but asked the staff to explain properly how to use it. Otherwise you may not get your stuff out.

Anne Hostel Yokozuna, Tokyo *****

Anne Hostel Yokozuna

Location: 4-38-5 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Perfect location especially when you are planning to go for sumo tournament (it takes approximately 5 minutes to get there). The metro station is just in front of it so finding the hostel is very easy. There are small supermarkets and a lot of restaurants around, very affordable.

Common room at Anne Hostel Yokozuna.

Price: 2400 yen per person in 8 people dorm ($18).

Our experience: It was a huge hostel with plenty of travellers around. We met a lot of them and even joined them for sumo tournament one morning. The kitchen looked amazing – a typical Japanese style. Everyone was cooking, walking around or using free computers. Staff was very helpful and welcoming!

Rate: 5/5.

Kitchen at Anne Hostel Yokozuna.

More info: Once you enter the hostel, don’t forget to take your shoes off and store it in a storage room. Otherwise they will be taken and thrown away. Always label your food and write the check-out date. Otherwise it will be marked as a “donation” and anyone will be able to take it. One more thing, forgotten cosmetics are kept in one big box in each bathroom / toilet, so feel free to use them.

Mount Fuji Hostel Michael’s, Fuji ***

Our experience: It was a very small hostel, but cozy. We were welcomed by an amazing receptionist, who we had a nice chat with. She recommended few places and showed us around. The hostel was totally empty that day so we had the entire room was ourselves. We were disappointed with the kitchen – there was no kitchen, only a small corner with a fridge and some plastic cutlery. We barely managed to prepare our meals. Moreover, the toilet didn’t flush properly and it was definitely too expensive.

Rate: 3/5.

Food corner

More info: You may be charged more money if you want to leave your stuff in the storage room. We didn’t, but that was written on the wall.

The Deer Park Inn, Nara *

Reception at The Deer Park Inn.

Location: 158-5 Kasugano-cho, Nara, Japan.HORRIBLE LOCATION!The Deer Park Inn was located in the middle of the Deer Park. Yes, it could be its huge advantage, but not if you arrive in the evening! In order to get to the park we had to take a bus. We were given direction tips by the hostel that were one big mess. We walked around trying to find the hostel and we got lost. Surrounded by deers in the middle of a night we felt frightened and we started to worry. Luckily we found a park guard who helped us out. At firsthe didn’t know himself how to get there, but after calling the hostel we walked another 20 minutes till we finally got there. In total, an absolute disaster.

Beds at The Deer Park Inn.

Price: 2780 yen per person in 6 people dorm ($21).

Living room at The Deer Park Inn.

Our experience: The only one thing we liked there was hostel’s design (wooden walls) and its cleanliness. Apart from that, we had a very bad experience there. The receptionist always looked angry or unhappy. When we arrived (worried and tired), the first thing we wanted to do was dinner followed by a quick shower. We were told there were only 10 minutes left till the kitchen gets closed and after that we can’t cook neither eat there. Ok, rules are the rules but nobody was in the kitchen that evening and letting us stay 5 more minutes would not harm anyone. The guy also pointed out that I walked too loudly and cups were not supposed to be taken outside (we wanted to sit on the bench and drink some tea). No tips and no recommendations were given by him. Instead, he threw out my souvenir from Fuji because he thought it was a piece of wood nobody would use. Distaster!

Bathroom at The Deer Park Inn.

Rate: 1/5 (1 point only because the place looked nice and it was clean).

27 Comments

That first hostel in Hiroshima looks amazing! That one in Fuji looks a bit cramped, I wouldn’t pay $19 a night to be that cramped. We all learn from our experiences, though, right? That last one in Nara sounded downright rude! Rules are rules but there is no need to be rude! At least now I know what to look for. Thank you!

Interesting post. I still find hostels a bad deal in Japan, in general. Apart from cities like Tokyo and Kyoto you can find a double room for around 5000 Yen per night. Without a kitchen, but the room will always have an electric kettle, so you will be able to have tea and cup ramen in your room. Glad that you enjoyed Japan so much.

Yes, Japan was pretty expensive when it came to accommodation. These places were the cheapest. We hardly ever kept to our budget of $25 a day per person, but we did a lot of free sightseeing and some couchsurfing as well.

Interesting post! I think actually that the price of hostels there, compared to western europe and especially Australia is actually really good. You wouldnt find a bed for $19 in one of the major cities here. Whilst Japan is not a cheap country, it is actually a lot more affordable than it used to be. Prices dont rise that steeply and the value of the yen is much less than it used to be. I loved Hana Hostel – the only one I’ve stayed at. I understand your experience at the last one – the Japanese can be very obsessed with rules.
I stayed at the brilliant K’s House in Kyoto which I loved. However, I wouldnt like to be one of the foreign staff. clean is clean and very important in Japan, but they had staff cleaning the window sills and grooves for the doors (sliding) with toothbrushes!

I’ve not yet been to Japan but I do love this post for when I finally get there and it’s so nice to know that there are smart-cheaper options out there, as Japan has a reputation of being awfully expensive.
‘Love it!

‘Thinking of somewhere “exotic” in 2017. Was thinking of going to India again but I think my husband might freak at the conditions lol so strongly thinking in favour of China. I’ll probably need to pick your brain for info so as good a reason as any to finally meet each other…

Im visiting Japan in October and can’t wait! I hope that it will be an incredible experience :) I was excited about the review of “Mount Fuji Hostel Michael’s” as I plan to stay there as well. Only since it’s the cheapest in the area! Hopefully they have fixed the toilet by the time, but sad to hear about the kitchen facilities as they seem to be necessary when traveling on a budget!:)